Two Wills
by Lily meet Ginny
Summary: When Severus Snape learns that Wormtail is about to betray Lily, he goes to the only person he can find that he knows will help prevent it. Sirius Black. They raise Harry together. AU. No slash.
1. Blue Night Gone Fragile

(**A/N:** I don't own Harry Potter. This is an AU of what might have happened had Severus Snape overheard Wormtail talking with the Dark Lord. It also makes an inherent assumption that he isn't evil!Snape. This is the Snape who still wants his only best friend to live, even if it means losing her to another man.)

It was a rather chilly, stormy night. The pounding rain and frequent thunder erased any trace of sound outside, as well as thoroughly drenched anyone crazy enough to step out on a night like this. Severus Snape knew better than to assume no one would be out on a night so tempestuous. Weather like this provided excellent cover for missions of utmost importance. It was rare for anyone to even peek out the window of any of the cheerfully lit houses or to take note of anything seen. Comfort was far more important for both Muggles and wizards alike than curiosity. Still, he clutched his cloak tightly in a failed effort to keep the rain from drenching him further and hurried up the quiet street. His destination was quite a bit further, yet he did not increase his pace. He was a man on a suicide mission. If the Dark Lord had any suspicions of what he had planned, Severus would have been killed already. Then again, the Dark Lord likely had no idea of what he had overheard. It was a mere accident that Severus had been at headquarters earlier that night, but a raid the previous night had forced him to place one of his experimental potions into stasis. If he had only finished his potion last night, the already cracked and warped foundation of his loyalty wouldn't be shattering into pieces with every drop of rain, in danger of being swept away by the second. The dark night had gone fragile.

The icy rain was making his anger cold and sharp. No matter how hard he tried to occlude his mind, he couldn't block it out. He couldn't push away the tumultuous betrayal. They had promised that Lily would be safe. He had told Voldemort about the prophecy hoping that going after two of the top Aurors would get the Dark Lord killed. Hell, they'd even taught Moody a thing or two about paranoia and booby trapping. He doubted that Voldemort would have even made it through the front door. It didn't even cross his mind that the Potters had thrice-defied the Dark Lord until after the prophecy had been relayed. They might have hit the third time just after. It didn't matter anymore. He thought he had persuaded Dumbledore to move the Potters far away, preferably in a fortified manor behind a layer or six of wards. After tonight, he knew they hadn't been. They were as far from safe as imaginable.

He strode up to the house at the end of the street and stalked up the sidewalk before precisely rapping on the door, using the methodical knock that was trademarked to those in the Order. After a minute, the door swung open and Sirius Black looked out, his body preventing the door from opening further. His wand was pointed straight at Severus.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you, Snivellus," Sirius snarled.

"Because Lily is in danger," Severus said softly. Had it been any other night, he would have snarled as well, but not when _she_ was in danger.

Perhaps it was the words, or something in the way he'd said it, but Sirius took a step back, looking pale. Before he could react, Severus raised his right hand, index touching middle finger and ring touching pinky.

"I, Severus Snape, solemnly swear on my life and magic that I have not come here tonight with the intent to physically harm Sirius Black in any way. So mote it be."

The gold mist fluttered around him, marking the man in the doorway as witness. That man was currently staring at him with a shocked look on his face.

"I guess you'd better come in then," Sirius said, opening the door and waving Severus in.

"What's this about Lily being in danger," Sirius asked, after closing the door and snapping up several privacy wards.

"You aren't the secret-keeper," Severus said, knowing the answer but still hoping that the man in front of him would deny his statement.

"No I'm not."

"Pettigrew is, correct?" He willed the fates to have it any other way.

"How'd you find that out?"

Severus felt sick.

"I stayed late at the lab tonight, working on a time-sensitive project," he told Sirius dully. "I'd expected to finish it earlier, but one of the new recruits had invariably contaminated it. I had taken a break when I came across Pettigrew conversing with the Dark Lord. I'm not sure what all he shared, but he told Voldemort where the Potters live. We have to get them out. Now."

"Was Voldemort torturing him? We had him hidden!"

"No. He is a Death Eater. He called the Dark Lord 'Master'."

While Severus was talking, Sirius rushed around grabbing his dragon hide combat boots and his battle robes.

"Not that I care, Snape, but why are you telling me this?"

"Because of Lily. There are quite a few at the ministry who aren't loyal, and I can't be certain that Dumbledore would act on this until too late. I have no idea where Remus is currently. You were the only other person I had an address for."

"Let's go," Sirius said, grabbing Snape's arm before twisting him through side-along apparition.

They arrived outside the cottage where the Potters were staying. Children were roaming the streets, dressed up in various costumes. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. They drew their wands and started toward the house; Severus was glad that this was the one night where their attire and their wand usage wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. The Muggles were willing to believe anything on Halloween. Severus started as someone kicked a pebble; he spun around to find a little kid dressed as a ghost tearing down pavement to the next house, his white sheet trailing out behind him. Severus relaxed slightly, annoyed at himself for being startled by a child. Sirius finished checking the perimeter, before sighing in relief.

"Good, we made it in time. I'd…"

And with that, pandemonium erupted. Two twin green flashes ruptured the darkness. Severus doubted he would ever forget just the way it had streaked his vision as he realized in muted horror that the green could only be from a killing curse. The flashes were merely the lightning before the thunder. The explosion roared out from the darkness, swallowing them both. The windows cracked and part of the roof blew off, raining the street below with rubble. The worn teddy bear landing at their feet shocked Sirius out of his stupor. He sprinted forward, racing into the wrecked cottage. Severus wasn't far behind, though he knew what they would find inside. Death, and quite possibly the Dark Lord. _Oh Lily._

The scene in front of them wasn't pleasant. James lay partially blocking the staircase. Sirius was looking in abstract horror at the body of his best friend, but Severus didn't pause. He moved up the stairs toward the destroyed room. Everything must have culminated there. He reached the room to find the stars staring back at him. With that much damage, they were lucky the walls were still standing. He looked around, wand outstretched, only to give an anguished cry. _Oh Lily._

She was crumpled in front of the cot, eyes forevermore wide open. He knelt and cradled her body to his chest, sobs racking his body. Gone was his best friend. Gone was the girl strong enough to rand up for what she believed in, even to him. Gone was the girl who showed him the magic in life when he'd been convinced there was nothing but darkness and pain. He vowed that he would never let anyone forget the vivacious girl she'd been, the wonderful woman she'd transformed into. _Oh Lily._

He caught a hint of movement directly behind him and turned to see Lily's son standing in the cot, the tear-streaked green eyes peering down at him. Severus gasped. Those eyes… Why did genetics have to give him her eyes? Unconsciously, he reached out and let the side of the cot fall, pulling the infant into his arms. There was a gouge on his forehead that needed to be treated, but for the moment, Severus simply watched as the infant squirmed a bit and reached out a small hand to pat his mother's cheek. He choked back a sob. He had no idea how the infant survived the encounter with the Dark Lord, much less the following explosion.

Had the world been different, he might have stayed Lily's friend and might have met her son before tonight. It was curious that the boy had even survived, but the wand and robes heaped a few paces away gave evidence that the Dark Lord had not survived this particular encounter.

Severus could hear footsteps thundering down the hall long before Sirius appeared in the room.

"Harry's alive?" Sirius asked, reaching down and scooping the toddler into his arms. "Oh thank Merlin, Harry's alive!"

"We need to get out of here," Severus said suddenly.

"What?"

"Use your brain, Black. The house just blew up. The Muggles are certain to call the police, and the Ministry won't be far behind. Does that mean nothing to you?"

Sirius paled.

"They all still think that I'm Lily and James's secret keeper."

"Precisely. Most will believe that I am strictly a Death Eater, as well."

Severus stood up and began gathering items. A quilt, a dog-eared book, formula, bottles, a few toys. He grabbed whatever would be necessary and most of what was on the changing table, before shoving it into a baby bag.

"You aren't a Death Eater?"

"I am, but I'm a spy as well."

"Who all knows? And why?"

"The why will need to wait until later, but both Albus Dumbledore and Alastor Moody know."

"Mad-eye Moody? And he didn't kill you?"

Severus flicked his wand, summoning various items from around the house. He surveyed the rest of the room. They would need a new cot; the one in the corner had been cracked at some point.

"I've been attending Order meetings under an invisibility cloak. Moody can obviously see through cloaks and wouldn't believe Dumbledore until he questioned me himself. Grab everything that you think is important. No doubt there will be looters here at some point, perhaps before we can return."

He bent down as they left the room, carefully pulling off Lily's wedding ring and jewelry. No doubt her son would want it some day. He put it in the bag, before brushing a kiss to her forehead. It would likely be the last time he saw her. He stood, only to find Sirius staring at him oddly.

"After all this time?" Sirius asked softly.

"Always," Severus responded stiffly. "Always."

They continued down the hallway, with Sirius stopping to grab certain items and summoning others. They headed down the stairs, only stopping to grab James's ring and watch.

"Goodbye, brother,' Sirius said mournfully as they walked out of the house.

Severus scooped the forlorn teddy bear out of the street, before turning to Sirius.

"You've been to Lily's childhood home, correct?"

Sirius nodded.

"Apparate there."

In a swirl, they both were gone. It would be nearly an hour before the Fidelius Charm had degraded enough to allow others to see the wreckage of the home. Only the muggles who had witnessed the blast could have seen it before then. By that time, Hagrid showed up to fetch young Harry and was waiting outside. The Headmaster had loaned him Sirius Black's bike, hoping it would make everything easier. As the wards finally crashed, Hagrid stalked in through the rubble. He had strict instructions to bring Harry to Headmaster Dumbledore. He would know what to do with the tyke. Hagrid sobbed as he passed the fallen bodies of the Potters. He couldn't believe that they were dead. At least the wards had indicated Harry was alive.

However, Hagrid was shocked when he reached the cot. Harry Potter wasn't there. He hurried down the stairs, which nearly didn't hold his weight the second time. The Headmaster needed to know about this. A quick flick of a pink umbrella ensured that the muggles wouldn't be bothering the house. With that, Hagrid portkeyed back to Hogwarts, intent on reaching Headmaster Dumbledore. Surely he would know what to do.

(A/N: One aspect needs to be noted- Severus overheard the address of where the Potters lived from Pettigrew, enabling him to see the house as well. Some of the back story will be explained in the next chapter. That chapter will be up Wednesday.)


	2. Tell Me, Where Would I Go?

(A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter. I left quite a few questions unanswered in the last chapter. They will be answered within the next 3-4 chapters. One thing I will note is that Sirius and Severus aren't going to suddenly be friends. Severus is being restrained because he believes that Sirius is the only one who can help him, and Sirius has no reason to be snarky because Severus came to him to warn him about the traitor. There will be more on this later.)

Two men appeared on the pavement in front of a house with small pops. One was carrying a sleeping toddler, the other had a heavy bag slung over one shoulder and still clutched a worn teddy bear. At least it wasn't storming here, since at this point it was well past ten and the darkness facilitated all of the cover they could want. The town had long been referred to as "Mill Town", meaning most of the townspeople would be asleep in preparation of the long day ahead.

Severus's own father had worked at the mills for much of his life. Lily's father had been lucky and had received an education, so she had never been subjected to her father returning home after a long shift, covered in grime and reeking of the booze that was the only "medicine" for that lifestyle. He started walking, leaving Sirius to follow behind him.

"Are we not going to Lily's house?" Sirius asked, hurrying to catch up.

"No. Some muggles bought it after her parents passed away," he responded tersely. Her mother had succumbed to muggle cancer during Lily's seventh year, and her father had died of a heart attack not long after Lily had finished her education. He had fond memories of Mr. and Mrs. Evans; they had taken him to Diagon Alley every year for his supplies, even after he and Lily had their final fight. They had claimed it was because he knew so much about the world Lily was a part of, but Severus knew that his father had made his dislike of the Wizarding World clear one too many times while they were present.

"Where are we going then?"

"The house I grew up in."

"You grew up around here?" Sirius asked, shocked

"Unfortunately. You're full of questions tonight."

"Sorry," Sirius said sheepishly. "I just didn't imagine that. I would have imagined that you grew up in a manor somewhere."

They walked in silence for several minutes through the streets that held dilapidated houses that were nowhere close to manors in size or appearance. Severus strode up to one that was just a bit darker than the rest. He produced a key that he'd been careful to keep with him from day one. It took a moment of fumbling with the key before the rusty lock moved. He swung the door open and stepped inside, allowing Sirius to step in past him.

The house reeked of rot, of mildew and disuse. He flicked on the lights, glad that he'd kept paying the electric bill.

"You live here now? It's…," Sirius trailed off, flushing when he realized that his words might be offensive.

"It's a hovel," Severus snapped. "The hovel that my father beat my mother to death in. She was a witch, but magic wasn't enough to save her. My father was good enough to get pissed and kill himself off, leaving me the hovel. Not like I ever wanted to hang around this place longer than I had to."

"I guess neither of us had the best of childhoods," Sirius said, sitting down on the dusty couch and cradling her son to his chest.

"What are you talking about? You grew up as the heir apparent to a huge family."

Sirius leveled a look at Severus.

"Yes, but they attempted to beat the heir into me. Fat lot of good that did them. They would have disowned me if it wouldn't have left them without a heir." He laughed sharply. "So what's the plan?"

"This is just my safe house. We need to find a safe place to take Lily's son, but we can't have the government chasing us down because I'm a Death Eater and you're the alleged secret keeper. Do you know anyone we could contact besides Dumbledore?"

Sirius thought hard for a minute. There weren't too many who could help them and wouldn't as soon sell them out to the highest bidder.

"You said Moody interrogated you, right?" he asked suddenly.

Severus groaned. He already knew this was not going to be a pleasant experience.

"Yes, he did."

"He believed you, right?"

"I believe so."

"We're going to contact him then," Sirius said. "Oh come on. He's already interrogated you and he trained me. He wouldn't have let you walk free if he thought you were lying, veritaserum be damned. It isn't like he's going to kill us straight off."

"You might want to get an oath to that effect," Severus muttered. Not kill us straight off? That was quite reassuring.

"Fair enough. We'll need to go somewhere to floo him."

"We're connected to the floo here. It's been registered under my mother's name for twenty years."

"Nice. Where's the floo powder?" He reached up to the container that Severus had indicated. "Here, hold Harry."

Severus numbly reached out and grabbed him. He had only held an infant once, but tried to remember exactly how he'd held the baby previously.

"Just make sure you've got his head. He's old enough that he can keep it up, but it never hurts," Sirius added softly.

Severus stared down at the small creature in his arms. Harry had barely stirred when he was passed off. Severus had expected the child to look exactly like his father, but from up close, he could tell that he didn't. Same shock of hair, but the face was completely different. Although he had high cheekbones like his father, when combined with the shape of his chin, his face was shaped the same as his mother, only slightly sharper. He had his grandmother's nose and his grandfather's ears. He stared down at the innocent face relaxed in sleep and swore that he would protect Lily's son, no matter what. He looked up as Sirius lit the fire, kneeled down, and threw in the floo powder.

"Moody's Shack of Fortunes!"

Severus snorted at the name. Moody's face suddenly appeared in the fireplace. Sirius and Moody exchanged pass codes of a sort before Moody spoke.

"Sirius Black, how can I help you?" He asked, before catching sight of Severus in the background. "What's he doing here?"

"We need your help relating to a matter of utmost importance," Sirius said carefully. However, Moody didn't stop glaring at Severus. Severus sighed and shifted Harry in his arms so that he could free one hand. He made the familiar V, symbolic of veritas, the latin word for truth.

"I, Severus Snape, solemnly swear on my life and magic that I have no intention of harming, killing, or betraying Sirius Black, Harry Potter, or Alastor Moody at any point in the near future, unless either of the adults attempt to intentionally harm me first. So mote it be." The familiar golden dust swirled around him. He looked down at the toddler that had woken up sometime during the oath. Harry was giggling and batting at the gold glimmers as they flickered around him. Severus noted that some of the sparkles settled on the scar that ran down his forehead.

"Good enough, laddie. Hand me your wands first, then feel free to step though."

After the wands were passed through, Sirius and Severus stepped through the flames. Severus carefully covered Lily's son with his robes, to keep him from breathing in soot. They arrived to find Moody with his wand trained on them. He handed Sirius a cup of tea and quickly dripped four drops of veritaserum into it.

"Drink up, laddie," Moody said gruffly.

"Isn't it dangerous to use four drops?" Severus asked quietly.

"Only if you don't have the antidote. Otherwise, you'll get pretty sick," Moody grinned, before turning to Sirius.

"State your full legal name."

"Sirius Orion Black."

"How are you related to Harry?"

"I'm his godfather."

"Were you the Potter's secret keeper?"

"No."

"Who was?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Are you a Death Eater or have you been one at any time?"

"No."

"Did you betray the Potters in any way other than through unintentional communication with Pettigrew?"

"No."

"Do you believe that you are a fit guardian for Harry?"

"Yes."

"Fair enough, Black. Drink this," he said, handing Sirius a different cup of tea.

"Your turn," Moody added, handing Severus another cup of tea with the same four drops. "Better hand off the kid to Black."

He waited until Black had recovered enough before indicating that Severus should drink.

"I think Black might want to hear this. You know the drill."

Severus drained the cup and felt the veritaserum acting rather quickly.

"What is your full legal name?"

"Severus Tobias Snape," he answered dully.

"Have you ever been a Death Eater?"

"Yes."

"If I ask you questions relating to other Death Eaters and Voldemort without veritaserum, do you intend to be truthful?"

"Completely."

"That's good to know. Have you ever killed anyone?"

"No."

"How 'bout tortured someone?"

"No."

"Hmm." He turned to look at Sirius. "Albus wouldn't let me ask him that last time.. Why haven't you?"

"Officially, because murder and torture could risk harming my hands, making brewing useless, and because certain methods of cold-blooded murder leave taints that make brewing certain potions impossible." Severus licked his lips. "Unofficially, because I've never had the stomach for hurting people like that."

"How did you get past the ritual for the mark?"

"I told him I killed my father."

"He'd have loved that. How did your father die then?"

"He drank too much and crashed into a parked lorry while driving. The car exploded."

"Ah, the typical cover-up by the ministry for any odd death. I can see how you got away with it. Why do you dislike muggles?"

"Because of my father. He killed my mother. The muggles ruled it an accident."

"Why did you leave Voldemort's ranks?"

"Because of Lily."

Sirius raised his eyebrows at that, but said nothing.

"Here's a real question for you, lad. Why didn't you just take the whole lot down with you, kill everyone? It would have been the more manly thing to do."

"I wanted to. It would have been easy to stage an accident, but Dumbledore ordered me not to."

"Let's see," Moody trailed off gruffly. "Do you want to kill any one?"

"Yes."

"Who?" Moody hissed impatiently.

"Pettigrew," Severus said sharply

"Why?"

"He killed the only woman I've ever loved. She was supposed to be safe."

"What are you feeling right now?" Moody asked, but Severus could barely hear him. The lights were spinning like a worn out sneakoscope. Snape lurched slightly.

"Slightly sick. Mostly betrayed."

"Hang in there, laddie. Just one more question. Why are you feeling betrayed?"

"Dumbledore swore they would be safe. They could have been hid behind the Potter wards and would have never been found. It wasn't even supposed to be Lily. Her son was born two weeks early. He was supposed to go after the Longbottoms. They're living at the manor, and it had wards that the Dark Lord could never dream of getting through. He would have died on contact, but he didn't realize that. Then he switched, wanted to go after the Potters. Dumbledore swore he would keep them safe, he promised! But they were moved to that defenseless house and now she's dead."

Severus wasn't sure if it was the veritaserum or not, but he burst into tears. He was a bit ashamed at crying twice in one night; he'd hoped his Occlumency shields would have prevented such an occurrence. Moody hurriedly handed him the antidote and a calming potion. The first left him feeling slightly ill but certainly more clear-headed, while the second alleviated his sudden despair. He looked up and noticed Black looking at him with something akin to pity. He almost growled at the man, but in a moment Severus recognized the expression- commiseration. He knew that Black was likely in the same sinking boat as he was; they'd both lost the ones they'd considered family in one night. Severus supposed that gave them a reason to be civil to each other.

In his potion-induced calmness, Severus failed to notice Moody's sudden change in disposition. He thunked over to the fire and threw the floo powder in haphazardly, before kneeling and calling out, "Frank Longbottom!"

Frank's face quickly appeared in the fireplace.

"Hey Moody! What's going on?" he asked cheerfully. Moody quickly made a complicated gesture that Frank returned.

"Frank, I taught you and Alice almost everything you know. Realize that I know how competent you two are."

It only took a minute for Frank Longbottom to lose the cheerful attitude and quickly put on his auror mask. Both Severus and Sirius understood how Frank and Alice put fear in the hearts of any who faced them. That face promised death.

"What do you need us to do," Frank asked, his voice full of steel.

Moody looked at him strongly.

"Frank, this is an order for you and Alice. Go home."

"We are home."

"No. Go to the Longbottom Manor. Get behind the wards and stay there until I give you the all clear."

"Moody, Dumbledore assured us that our house is safe. He put up the Fidelius charm himself."

"He put the Potters away in a safe house too, but now they're dead, and they would have been safer under the ancestral wards. Now get under the Longbottom wards in the next fifteen minutes. Contact me when you're concealed. I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"Hey Moody?"

"Yeah?"

"Constant vigilance."

Moody chuckled, before standing up. He leveled a look at both Sirius and Severus.

"I believe it's long past time to get to the bottom of things."

(A/N: I use oaths as a method of truth detection in this story. It can't force the one swearing the oath to answer truthfully when asked questions- hence the need for veritaserum. I would imagine that a pureblood ministry wouldn't require people to swear these oaths in relation to jobs and trials, since the oath might clash with oaths pertinent to being the head or scion of a noble house. Also, next update should be in a week, give or take. Up next- Dumbledore.)


	3. One Mirror

(A/N: Chapter Three. Thank you to Blue-Inked Frost, Sora, Ann Jinn, Diana, Amanda, SevLoverKat, Fallen-Petals15, Zireael07, WeasleySeeker, Jessie, .princess, Yume, kitkatritrat, Moe and Jack, and illusionlove for reviewing the first two chapters. Concrit is always welcome. Heads up, it will be at least a week before the next chapter. I have finals and papers due all week. Please note that in this story, Dumbledore is not evil. He's just old and set in his ways. )

* * *

The next twenty minutes were tense. Moody engaged the panic wards, only allowing those physically present and the Longbottoms entrance. Sirius bounced Harry, who had started fussing. Severus just sat there, still in shock over Lily's death. He blamed himself completely and knew he always would. On top of that, the Longbottoms hadn't even been behind their feared wards. There was quite a bit amiss. At the heart of it lay the Potters' demise, and subsequently the Dark Lord's disappearance**. **Severus looked at the last of the Potters. He was so young, yet the magical community would likely blow this all out of proportion. He would need to be kept safe, both from the inept fools and the maleficent demons that were so very prevalent in the wizarding world.

The grandfather clock on the mantle ticked off every stressful second. Finally, the fireplace roared green and Frank's head appeared above the hearth.

"Alastor Moody," Frank called out, only to see Moody standing there, looking at him gruffly.

"Do you have your wards up?"

Moody simply nodded.

"I hope you have an adequate reason for taking so long," Moody said sternly.

"I just moved everything in my house to halfway across the country along with my wife and child. Twenty minutes is good."

"You and Alice are both aurors. You should be able to get out of a situation in five minutes flat."

"Moody, auror is not an equivalent term for speed packer. We're out, we're safe, and we're behind the wards," Frank said, before adding contemplatively, "We had a visitor before we left the house."

"Well, boy, who was it? I'm not getting any younger," Moody asked impatiently. He shifted his weight in nervous anticipation.

"Albus Dumbledore stopped by right before we started packing. Wanted to make sure we'd be staying there, just in case anything happened."

Frank trailed off and looked at Moody oddly.

"I was curious how he had any idea that we'd be moving. Although he is the one who suggested we move to that cottage in the first place to add a measure of security and unpredictability."

Moody scanned the room, before frowning sharply. He shook his head and motioned for Frank to continue.

"He left a monitoring charm behind on one of Alice's favorite paintings. It tracks location and monitors for certain spells. She was ever so disappointed when we had to leave the painting behind." He sighed theatrically, then yelped as Alice swatted him.

"Anyway, he sat around for quite a while; he didn't even budge when Neville started squalling. It was only when Alice delegated him to diaper duty that he finally left. Otherwise, we'd have gotten out much quicker. Definitely within ten minutes."

Moody snorted.

"We left behind our own monitoring charms. I'll let you know if anything goes down. Should we assume Dumbledore is hostile?"

"It would probably be best for the time being," Moody agreed. "I'll let you know if that changes."

"Fair enough. I need to go explain to Mother why we've come back and raised the wards."

Moody shut down the floo before sweeping the room with a stronger detection charm. He stopped on the grandfather's clock and practically snarled.

"Albus sent me that for my birthday a few weeks back," he muttered, before he pulled the whole thing down and began bludgeoning it. He looked up when the clock was rubble and the monitoring charm had been diffused.

"If anyone asks, it might have been a Basilisk's egg," he said with a crooked smile.

"But Sir," Sirius asked, "won't Dumbledore know everything that's happened so far?"

"Maybe. I'm guessing that's how he's been knowing where to go with some of the attacks. The clock was tied into the floo, monitoring only that. He could listen in, but he can't tell other locations. He'll know that you contacted me and that Frank contacted me. The raised wards would have blocked the connection on the last floo call."

* * *

Albus Dumbledore did not notice that his ward had fallen. The raised wards would prevent him from noticing indefinitely. Even so, he was preoccupied at the moment. Rubeus Hagrid had thundered up to his office, yelling wildly. Albus wondered how many people had heard whatever news Hagrid was spreading aimlessly, and whether it would be futile to engage damage control.

"Dumbledore, the boy's gone!" he bellowed, finally reaching the landing into the office.

"What do you mean, my dear boy?" Albus asked patiently.

"Harry's gone! He wasn't at the house when I got there.

"What?"

"I know," Hagrid sobbed, before blowing his nose in a giant floral handkerchief. "I hope the little tyke didn't go an' wander off."

"Alas, I fear I have no idea what has happened to the boy," Albus said sadly. He could easily imagine Death Eaters like Lucius Malfoy attempting anything in order to get their hands on the child of prophesy. It could not be allowed to happen.

His words did little to ebb the man's noisy tears.

"We've gotta do somethin' about it. Little Harry can't be out there, all alone an' with Lily and James gone! We've just gotta."

Albus pondered the problem. If he asked for assistance from anyone in the ministry, there was no guarantee that those higher up wouldn't try to meddle. It would be unwise to lose custody of young Harry to one of them. A similar effect could result from the public finding out about this. even worse, it might incite a riot if the boy was not available to reassure the masses that Voldemort had been nullified. The Order wouldn't be able to keep it quiet. No, his best bet would be to talk with Alastor Moody. Moody could find the boy wherever he was, was trustworthy, and most importantly, was extremely careful. He'd know why the boy needed to be found and kept safe from the loose Death Eaters, and he'd be able to see reason as to why the boy had to go to his relatives. Yes, he'd contact him as soon as he could get Hagrid to stop crying and shoo him out of his office.

"There, there, Hagrid," he told the man reassuringly. "I'll do whatever is needed to find young Harry and keep him safe."

* * *

Back at Moody's house, similar plans for safety were being formed.

"We need a plan," Sirius said adamantly. "Someone needs to go after the rat, and I need to get Harry to safety."

"What's your plan?" Moody asked, turning to Severus.

"I'm going with him," Severus stated resolutely.

"No way, Snivellus," Sirius hissed. "He's my godson, and I'm saying no."

"Why would you want to go with them?" Moody asked. "Not that I think it's a bad idea."

"To keep Harry safe," Severus responded.

"You couldn't stand Potter," Sirius snapped. "What makes you think you could treat his son any better? He'll probably look exactly like him."

"What do you see when you look at Harry?" Severus asked Moody.

"A baby."

"Exactly," Severus said firmly. "He's a baby. Most people just chuckle and say how cute he is. But you," he said, pointing at Sirius, "see the best parts of his father in him. I see the best attributes of his mother."

"You think that gives you qualification to raise a child?" Sirius growled.

"Look, it isn't as if any of us were raised in the best manner. Potter was spoiled rotten, you were disowned, and my father was... less than adequate. But if we raise him together, there's a chance that he could turn out how Lily wanted him to be. No one can argue that I did not love Lily. I can ensure that even if her son does not have memories of Lily, he will remember her- remember her as I have since the day I met her when I was only nine."

Sirius opened his mouth, likely to retort, when Moody stopped him.

"There's more than that, Black. Adding Snape to your party has tactical advantages."

"How can anything about living with him be tactical?"

"One, he knows how the enemy thinks. Two, he's earned his Mastery in Potions. It will prevent many a healer call if he can brew the necessary potions for Harry. Three, he's familiar with the Muggle world. That's good, since that's where you three are going."

"What? The Muggle world?" Sirius questioned fearfully.

"Look, lad. I know Dumbledore. He's more likely to give the boy to Lily's sister. He believes she's protected living in the Muggle world."

"That's ridiculous," Severus interjected. "Anyone could look up her address in the telephone book. Petunia is too covetous of normality to ever exclude her information it."

"Exactly."

Moody received two looks of equal incredulity and questioning.

"Snape has roots in the Muggle world. He can blend it. You don't. That adds a level of unpredictability. They'll expect you to be in that old apartment you and James shared before he got married. We'll ward someplace unexpected in the Muggle world, and you will have to stay out of the view of the wizarding world for the next few years."

"What about Remus?" Sirius asked pleadingly.

"His living situation is tracked because he's a werewolf," Moody thought out loud. "However, he's immune to legilimency. He'll likely be forced to work in the Muggle world to find a decent job. He can keep in contact and visit, but he could never live with you while you had Harry, even if there wasn't a need for secrecy. If it weren't Death Eaters, it would be ministry workers and reporters. I trust it would be unnecessary to tell you that he also can't come near on the full moon. There would be far too many trackers out then." Moody nodded to Sirius with finality.

Sirius' shoulders sagged in defeat.

"How long do we have before we need to go?"

"Now. Dumbledore will no doubt be looking for Harry soon. We'll need a way to keep in contact, though. Not floo, and definitely not by owl. Those are far too traceable. We need some way that won't arouse suspicion." He grimaced. "I guess I could always get one of those telephone things."

"Here," Sirius said, thrusting a mirror into Moody's hand. "It was James' communication mirror. You can reach us on that. Just say my name."

He turned to Severus.

"Just because I'm going with this doesn't mean I like you, Snivellus."

"Likewise, Black."

"You'll be expected to do your fair share in chores and in raising Harry."

"I would never have expected it to be any different," Severus said evenly.

"You'll get Wormtail's mirror. I never understood until tonight why he left it at James' last time he visited." Sirius looked at Severus, his grey eyes hard. "If you try to betray us, I'll kill you myself."

"And if you put Lily's son in danger, I'll permanently incapacitate you."

"Good. We understand each other."

"If you two are done bickering in front of the baby, you'd better be on your way. Here's the address for a temporary safe house. It belonged to the Muggle spouse of an old Squib. Never should have ended up in the ministry anyway, and no one knows of it. Transfer as soon as you can find another place. No matter what, use constant vigilance. You never know who or what you'll run into."

Moody ushered them out the door.

"Gentleman, good night," Moody told them firmly as they walked off into the unknown. "And good luck."


	4. Light Ways

Chapter 4 (Light ways) (A/N: Heads up, the updates will be slow from here on out. I didn't have as much written and proofread as I'd hoped so this is only part of the chapter.)

Severus and Sirius set off on foot. It wouldn't have been difficult to floo or apparate away from Moody's house, but this night was too precious to lose by using magic. Magic means of transportation were too easily traced. Take a port key and every Death Eater would be out there faster than you could snap. Flooing to any place that wasn't secure would mean the same, though neither even knew if this destination would be hooked up to floo. Likely, it would not. On top of that, they couldn't apparate somewhere they didn't have a clear mental picture of. Sirius sighed. He was familiar with muggle transportation- his motorcycle had broken down a few too many times when he was first enchanting it for him not to be familiar with it. He looked down at his godson, zonked out in a way only a child could ever hope to achieve. He smiled. He would take muggle transportation any day over risking Harry's safety. Severus stopped as they reached the end of the nondescript street and Sirius nearly ran into him.

"Problem?" he hissed questioningly through the dark.

"Hardly."

Sirius waited a few moments before he'd had enough of standing. His lack of patience was one of the primary reasons he'd landed Gryffindor over Slytherin.

"Are you going to move, or are we going to stand out here all night?" Sirius snipped.

"By all means, be my guest and lead us to the tube," Severus said evenly. "I'm sure you'll find it before it shuts down for the night."

Sirius muttered a curse under his breath and stalked off toward where he remembered the train station being.

"That wasn't a dare, Black."

"I've been here before. The tube entrance is close to the bus station, which is half a mile down the road. Are you coming or not?" Sirius started off before Severus could answer, a smirk playing on his lips. Reluctantly, Severus trudged after him.

It only took five minutes or so to find both the bus station and the entrance to the tube. Severus stalked ahead to the ticket counter while Sirius hung behind. Muggle money was not something he was exceedingly familiar with. He'd rather let Severus handle that instead of risking handing the ticket agent money from the wrong country.

A quick transaction later and Severus returned with the correct number of tickets and a map.

"Did you ask for directions?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Hardly," Severus sneered. "We don't want people knowing where we're going."

"Good," Sirius said shortly. "Which tube are we taking?"

Severus handed the map and address to Sirius and stood watching. Sirius discretely opened the map and followed the lines, before his eyes flicked over to the strange man in the corner. He hadn't gone for a ticket, he wasn't reading the transit times, and he certainly didn't blend in with the environment at the station. He stood out a bit less than a punk-rock teenager in a nursing home.

Sirius controlled his reaction carefully and studied the map closely, looking for the parallels he was hoping would exist. He traced the coloured lines across the map, following various ones. He went back and found the line they were on and slowly traced it up to where he knew they were going. His eyes flicked up to the map and he smiled.

"Oh perfect, we only need one line," he said cheerfully. "Hurry up Severus."

He took off walking, leaving a dumbfounded Severus to catch up. He quickly entered a nearby train, Severus hot on his heels. Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed an oddly dressed man hurry over to the ticket counter. With Severus studying along beside him, he went to the very last door on the train before hopping out on the other side. They quickly made their way to the right line. As the doors sealed with no sign of their pursuer, Severus finally turned to Sirius.

"What was that about? We have to take more than a connection to get where we need to go."

Sirius smirked.

"That's the point. We were being followed by a wizard who was dressed so badly that he likely has little idea about the muggle world. How he found us, I have no idea. But they think we're staying on one line, which only gives them a limited range for searching. We won't be there."

Severus gave him an evaluative look before nodding.

"Very slytherin of you."

"I was raised that way."

As they continued down the line, Sirius held his godson tightly and found himself proud of being Slytherin-like for the first time.

* * *

Alastor Moody knew it would take hours for them to reach their destination. That was beneficial and detrimental at the same time. It would be harder for anyone to follow them magically and would keep them safer in the long run. However, if anyone figured out their final destination before they arrived, they could be walking into an ambush. He shrugged. At this point there was nothing left to do but trust that both men could handle themselves. He settled himself into his favorite chair with a pad of paper to make notes pertaining to the events of that evening. He never risked using pensives. It was far too easy to have someone sneak up on you while using one and the memories were never truly safe. No, he preferred legal paper for notes on memories. His notes wouldn't change over the years, and anyone trying to break security would end up with far too many paper cuts in sensitive places and would never see a word.

He had just finished transcribing his notes and safeguarding them when the floo alarm went off. He threw his notes to the side and sealed them, before hobbling over to the fireplace and unlocking it. Dumbledore's face swam into view in the flames.

"Ah, Alastor. May I come through?"

"Sure," Moody barked. "Don't you Ah, Alastor me," he grumbled quietly.

Dumbledore stepped through the flames and stoically turned to face Moody.

"Haven't given up the theatrics yet, have you?" Moody snarked. Dumbledore had one been his friend, but quite a bit had changed in the past five years. Moody's old friend was no longer the same person.

Dumbledore gave no sign that he'd heard Moody.

"I fear we have a grave problem, Alastor."

"Yeah?" Moody questioned, crossing his arms.

"Alastor, Harry Potter is missing. I fear he's been kidnapped."

Moody feigned surprise and outrage.

"What! Who on earth would kidnap Harry from his family?"

"I know, Alastor. It is… a travesty."

"What happened?"

"Voldemort attacked young Harry's family tonight. Both of his parents perished. He survived and Voldemort was overcome, but Harry disappeared shortly after that."

"Do you think he crawled off?"

"No, he wouldn't have made it down the stairs alone. I fear that Death Eaters may have taken him."

"Why did you come to me about this, Albus? Why not contact the DMLE and Crouch?"

"You're still an Auror, are you not?"

"Only officially for a week more. Apparently when you lose this many limbs, it becomes time to retire."

"That is a shame, Alastor," Dumbledore said severely. "The department will be losing their best Auror."

"Albus," Moody said, cutting Dumbledore off. "Get to the point."

"Ah yes," Dumbledore trailed off. "I was hoping for your assistance in locating Harry. You aren't limited by Ministry guidelines, so your search would be more efficient than any I could hope to find there."

"What are you going to do when you find him, Albus?"

"I'll place him where he currently should be."

"And where is that,"Moody asked, his paranoia at full intensity.

"With his Aunt and Uncle of course."

"His Aunt and… What do you mean his Aunt and Uncle!"

"Lily Potter had a sister who married at some point. I believe the boy would be safest there."

"Albus, have you ever even met those people?"

"Why, I believe I saw them from a distance at the Potters' wedding. They didn't look too off-putting."

"Did you actually talk to them?"

"Well, no but…"

"I did. Those people are some of the worst muggles I've ever met. They weren't polite, they didn't like the Potters and were only there out of a sense of duty or whatnot, and they loathe magic."

"I'm sure that's an overstatement."

"It isn't. I tried to talk to them, and she refused to talk with me. At the same time, she badmouthed half my auror class, the ordained wizard, and the bride herself. That woman- no, those people are a walking Salem witch trial. They'd rather burn us than talk to us. "

"Surely it can't be that bad…"

"It's worse."

* * *

Thank you to the guest who notified me that I'd left out a part of the chapter. I've fixed that and worked a bit on the layout as well


	5. Turned My Back On You

Severus wasn't quite sure how they'd gone from the platform to on a tube so quickly. One moment, he was buying rail tickets, the next, he was being dragged across Merlin knew how many rails in a desperate but successful attempt to elude an unknown pursuer. He was simply happy that they'd avoided a potentially bad situation, but it was more than a bit worrisome that they had been followed. He leaned back, staring at Sirius. Black. He would have never placed them sitting across from each other on a train, and likely would have hexed anyone who had suggested that it could happen. He pulled out the railway map and studied it. They had a bit of time left before they needed to switch lines again, so Severus stretched out.

His relaxation was short lived. With a squall, Harry made sure that both adults remembered that he was there. As both of them worked to quiet the screaming child, Severus couldn't help but to think that it would be a long night.

* * *

"It's worse," Moody said firmly.

"Surely you're overreacting," Dumbledore said, attempting to push through on the issue.

"Albus, you can't honestly believe that."

However, one look proved differently. Moody stood up, clanking on his wooden foot.

"Come on," he said.

"Pardon me?"

"You're insistent that you're right. Well let's go see Petunia Dursley for ourselves. You can talk over the situation with her. If she is willing to have the child, we'll discuss his location. But you can't use any magic to convince her or her family, nor can you make any threats."

"I can handle this alone," Dumbledore told Moody firmly, trying to evade the issue. "There's no real need for you to join."

"I don't think so, Albus. I don't trust you not to interfere in some way. Now go grab whatever notes you have detailing your plan of action and let's get going."

Albus cowered slightly.

"You don't have an action plan written yet?" Moody asked sarcastically. "What were you going to do, leave him on the doorstep in a basket?"

Albus pointedly looked away

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Albus. You may be a premiere politician and a very intelligent old coot, but sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be better to have someone around to do all of your thinking for you. Now come on," he said, dragging Dumbledore toward the fireplace and to his impending doom.

* * *

It didn't take them long to arrive on a plain street in Surrey. Moody figured that it might be too late for the residents to be happy about receiving visitors, but he wasn't particularly concerned. No one said he had to play fairly.

They walked up to Number Four, Privet Drive, and Moody knocked sharply. He could hear some stirrings within, but no one came to answer the door. He flicked his eye upward to the house. His eye was the newest model, yet metal always seemed to give him problems. It wasn't particularly pretty to try to see something, only to have the picture distorted and marred by nails. It was incentive not to rely solely upon his eye. He could vaguely make out a woman who he assumed was Petunia sitting up in bed. He rapped on the door again with a bit more force than necessary, but it brought the desired results. Moments later, the door swung open.

"What do you want?" Petunia hissed.

"Hello Petunia," Albus began charmingly. All of his charm couldn't help him, and it was only Moody's quick reaction that kept the door open.

"Such hospitality, Petunia," Moody said sarcastically, shoving his way into the house. He motioned Albus to step inside, before closing the door.

"Get out!" Petunia hissed. "We want nothing to do with your freakiness here."

"Now Petunia, surely you can't mean that," Albus said sadly. "Your sister…"

"Don't you dare speak of the freak who calls herself my sister in my presence."

"She is your sister."

"No! She is a changeling, sent only to torment me and bring her devilishness to the world. Just like the rest of you."

"Dursley, it's genetics. She had a gene you don't have," Moody said firmly.

"Had?"

"She passed away tonight," Albus said softly.

"Good riddance," Petunia spat

"Surely you can't mean that," Dumbledore repeated plaintively.

"Albus, I think we're done here. It's apparent what she thinks."

"But it's for the best! Petunia, you must take Lily's son," Dumbledore insisted frantically.

"Filthy child. I refuse to have that sort around my home," she said adamantly. "He would taint my precious son."

"That isn't what you thought when you were a child."

Petunia opened her mouth to respond, but was stopped by her husband entering the room.

"Get out of my house," he boomed, cracking his knuckled menacingly. "How dare you bring this riffraff into my house"

"Vernon, you'll wake up Dudley," Petunia said softly.

"Vernon Dursley," Moody sneered. "Glad to see you've changed so much since the wedding."

The only way he'd changed was in the waistband, which had increased over the past few years.

Vernon reddened but continued.

"You're freaks, the whole lot of you. We're normal people and we don't abide by that sort of thing. Best thing to do with the lot of you is drown you from birth. Then we wouldn't have to worry about you contaminating the rest of us decent folks."

"Magic isn't contagious," Dumbledore began, disregarding Moody's attempt to stop him. "And Harry would be protected here. He would protect your family as well."

"No way in hell," Vernon yelled, as Moody turned on Dumbledore as well, dragging him from the house, tuning out Vernon's threats on all the ways he would kill the runt.

"Why on earth would you think that, Albus? It's apparent they wouldn't keep him a day before dumping him off somewhere, or worse."

"I can build blood wards around their house, using Petunia's familial link to seal them. They might not be full power, but they would protect him from evil."

"They would protect him from nothing, especially not his family!"

"It's for the greater good," Dumbledore said weakly.

"Are you going senile, old man? The worst evil would be fueling the wards, wards which would do a fat lot of good when they would be willing to hand him off to the first Death Eater they met. Hell, that lout was willing to kill the child himself. They have no business raising their own child, much less Harry Potter!"

In that moment, Moody realized that Dumbledore was most likely was blind to the effect his machinations had. He couldn't trust his friend not to follow his own convoluted plan. He was certainly glad he couldn't trace owls. He'd tried to keep Frank in an unsound house, for reasons unknown. He'd tapped Moody's fireplace. Worst, he'd intended to leave Harry with the worst muggles imaginable.

"I need to put out an order to arrest Sirius Black while we're at it. He was the Potters' secret keeper."

Moody growled.

"If that happens, I'll wring your neck. Bagnold and Crouch are so ready for this war to be done, they might have him kissed in the process."

"Why would you care? You've always believed in ridding the world of Death Eaters."

"Do you honestly think Sirius Black was their secret keeper?"

"It seems logical."

"You wouldn't know logical if it hit you," Moody muttered under his breath, before fixing Dumbledore with a menacing look. "Look, James told me when he went into hiding, that if Sirius was ever captured, to get peter and protect him. What do you think that means?"

"That Black would go after Peter too."

"Use your brain! It means that Peter was the true secret keeper. Are you that senile?"

Dumbledore shrugged off the comment about senility.

"Alastor, we must find Harry. It's important for the future. The Death Eaters might have him and it's important he's under our protection."

"Albus, what do you think a Death Eater would do to him?"

They would kill him," Dumbledore said gravely.

"He's the one who just defeated their undefeatable dark lord. They won't kill him. They would likely take him in, treat him like one of their own, and convert him to the cause. He has either too much power or too much potential to waste. He would be the best treated, even over any of their children. They would never kill him."

Moody stopped for a moment, suddenly wary.

"By the way, how did it all get out? They've been announcing Voldemort's defeat, the Potters' death, and "the-boy-who-lived"'s survival every fifteen minutes on the Wizarding Wireless Network. That isn't the best strategy for secrecy."

"Hagrid may have had quite a bit to drink," Dumbledore said sheepishly. "He told everyone at the bar and everyone along the way. It's been sent out in a special issue of the Daily Prophet. "

"You told the man who couldn't keep a secret. Wonderful. So much for constant vigilance on your part. How'd you know?"

"I had monitoring wards on the house. They told me when the wards fell."

"When were the Aurors called?"

"Well…"

"Oh wait," Moody snapped, "I already know the answer. You never called them, even though the wards fell. Don't think I won't figure out why you were willing to let them die, and how it ties to Harry Potter."

He caught sight of Dumbledore watching him contemplatively.

"And don't even try to obliviate me. You don't want to know how many safeguards constant vigilance means. Last person who tried to wipe my memory only made me figure out the case twice as fast. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"I still believe that this is the best place for Harry," Dumbledore said stiffly. "I hope that I can trust you to help me find him."

"Albus, the Potters filed an affidavit against him living with the Dursleys the moment they made their will. It was filed in both the Wizarding and Muggle World, as well as with several law firms. That won't disappear. You're out of luck on getting him placed there; the publicity from that would get you kicked off the Wizengamot and likely they'd remove you from the Supreme Mugwump position. But I want to find him just as much as you do. I can't stomach the idea of him being raised by Death Eaters any more than you can."

"You'll do what you feel is right. Now I must get back to Hogwarts. I have to contact Severus about the open Potions position."

Moody shook his head at the brightly dressed old man. Albus Dumbledore was hopeless. With that, he turned on his heel and apparated to the home of one of few men who would be able to help him with what he needed.

* * *

Severus and Sirius had finally shushed the toddler, only to realize that they'd arrived at the station. They'd spent the whole trip soothing Harry, and they had to switch lines and wake him up again. By the time they had gotten Harry settled again, they were well on their way to their final destination, minus any unwanted company. As they stretched out, Sirius looked over at Severus.

"How'd you even know where I lived?"

"What?" Severus questioned, shaking his head in surprise.

"You managed to find my house, and I'm positive I never gave you the location. How did you do it?"

"Oh." Severus looked slightly amused. "Do you remember Anna Markus?"

"The pureblood Ravenclaw I dated during seventh year? Yeah, what about her?"

"That's the one. For some reason, she seemed to think you'd wise up, rejoin the family, and marry her. She wanted the name the Black family had, and you were the easiest way to it as the eldest son. When you didn't propose or rejoin the family, she tried to hire me to hunt you down for revenge. She swore you lead her on."

Sirius was speechless, the shock evident on his face.

"I politely refused. Not only did I find it odd that she came to a Death Eater to get her dirty work done, murder and mayhem for pay leaves too great of a paper trail."

"I always knew she was crazy," Sirius commented. "I wonder where she found my flat's address though."

"I think she swiped it from Records in the Ministry; she worked there. She came in handy though, since I wouldn't have your address otherwise. Last I knew, she was trying to cozy up to Rockwood. He has the prestige, if not the money."

"Hey Severus? Let's _not_ take out hits on each other while we're living together."

Much as Severus was loath to admit it, he wouldn't want to be at the end of Sirius Black's wand or devious mind. There were times when he made Bellatrix look bad.

"Agreed."

With that they shook hands, unknowingly sealing a truce that would last longer than either would have considered possible or prudent.

* * *

A/N: I know there was a lot of Moody and Dumbledore in this chapter. It turns out that I like writing Moody. However, the next chapter will have quite a bit more of Sirius and Severus in it (unless my muse runs away from me again). The chapter after will bring Harry into the mix finally. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


End file.
